Sleep is an integral part of your performance. Creating strong sleeping habits can improve your consistency on the pitch, speed up recovery, and have strong positive psychological effects. With that said, some ideas around sleep are commonly stated but rarely fully explored for what they actually mean to you, while other tips and tricks are lesser known but should be brought to the forefront.
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First, it regularly stated that our bodies run on 90-minute (approximately) sleep cycles, and that 5, 6 or 7 cycles are generally needed each day in order to reap the greatest benefits from sleep. Therefore, 7-10 hours tends to be the expected optimal duration dependent on the player. The cycle system suggests you adhere to one of these boundaries for optimal energy: 7 hours 30 minutes, 9 hours, 10 hours 30 minutes. That said, the reality is that these are only guides. Bare in mind that everyone is different, and while the average person's sleep cycle lasts for approximately 90 minutes, yours may be somewhat shorter or longer, so adjustments should be made accordingly. If you want to be more specific, it would be worth using technology to monitor your sleep for more accurate timings.
There is evidence to sleeping in multiple periods, e.g. a 90-minute 1-cycle siesta during the day or power-nap (under 15 minutes) and the longer chain of cycles coming at night. With circadian rhythm in mind, you must have the longest sleep period through the night and spend most of your time awake during the daylight hours to accord with your natural body clock. Getting out into daylight early in the day will also help to regulate this clock, along with exercising within the first couple of hours after waking.
Creating a positive sleep environment is also important. Look to make your bedroom as dark as possible at night. Also aim to avoid blue light within the hour before you sleep - this includes mobile phones, laptops and television. More recent research seem to suggest that setting your circadian rhythm by getting out through the day is the more important factor for this, but good habits should be set nonetheless.
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